Matt Giordano

Matt Giordano, Connecticut US

Yoga instructor Matt Giordano (500 ERYT) gives credit to an influential figure from his teenage years--his high school art teacher-- for sparking within him the curiosity and tenacity that eventually led him to yoga. It was Eileen Walk who told Giordano: "You are not allowed to say 'I can’t.' You must rephrase to a question: 'How?'"

That inquisitive and unrelenting spirit laid the foundation for Matt to begin a devoted yoga practice. When coupled with his passion to understand the physics and subtle alignment of the body, Matt’s dharma as a teacher came into focus.

Originally from Sea Cliff, Long Island, Giordano is primarily based in Connecticut and Manhattan, where he teaches at local studios and shows off his daring side riding motorcycles along the open road. Matt is often on the go, traveling internationally to teach yoga and perform acrobatics. Well-known for his ability to guide students deeply into postures with his refined attention to detail and precise action cues, Giordano is an adept guide for all-levels students at festivals, workshops and in his weekly studio classes. His study of biomechanics and integrative mind-body techniques informs his teaching, as he draws upon wisdom from traditions of yoga, martial arts (Aikido and Tae Kwan Do), acrobatics, AcroYoga and Thai Yoga Massage. In the end, Matt inspires a humble confidence, allowing students to find ease while expanding the edge of their comfort zones.

As Giordano helps make AcroYoga a household name, the media has taken notice; featuring him in Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, Alignyo, Yoga Dork and on LIVE! With Kelly and Michael. Events the world over are allowing countless students the opportunity to practice with Matt. No one misses the action, as his growing digital content (YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) has become another platform for Matt to share delight, technique and even the occasional appearance of his dog Tito, a Papillon and heart-melting super yogi.

Stockholm 9-11 februari 2018

Fredag

16:00 : Finding Your Peace Upside Down (Studio Fogelström)

Learning to handstand is a process, abundant with discovery and amazement. Whether this is your first inversion workshop or you are well versed in the art of handstands, brace yourself as we delve into alignment, work toward mastery of the shoulder girdle, and explore acrobatic principles so you can build confidence and manifest a greater sense of balance. You will learn exercises that unify body and mind to create a solid foundation for a lifetime of standing on your hands. As a group we will create a safe and transformative space that will be appropriate and for all levels of practice. Take your handstand practice to the next level! Recommended experience for Handstand!: 3 months of steady yoga or acrobatic practice.

Lördag

10:45 : Depth of Breath and the Spine (Studio 5 Magasinet)

Side Bend, Back Bend & Twist

A focus on one of the most important aspects of our physical practice and the most challenging to master. Explore depth of your body by connecting to the natural curves of your spine and the muscles that support it. Lengthen and tone all the muscles surrounding your diaphragm to restore natural freedom of breath for maximum energy. Through this deep exploration you will work to unlock your ability to get into deep side bends, back bends, and twists without pain, strain or discomfort, all levels.

14:30 : Flying Hip Openers (Studio 2 Mälarsalen)

Arm balances are some of the most fun, exciting, and challenging poses of the yoga practice. Most also require flexible hips—a place many of us have tightness. Don’t let that deter you from starting arm balance practice now. Finding hip flexibility is more than simply stretching and waiting to achieve the elasticity we desire. With Matt, we explore techniques to find our fullest range of motion through optimal skeletal alignment and muscular engagement for deep, isometric hip strengtheners. We will also develop a true sense of our core and how its location, stability and strength relate to our arms and hips. Get ready to sweat, fly, and go deeper in your body in a way that is safe, healthy and absolutely powerful.

(all levels)

Söndag

Advanced, but all levels? How? Moving forward and practicing more advanced postures is gratifying and fun, but our ambitions to go deeper into asana can also become injurious. In this workshop, we learn how to have your cake and eat it too—heal, keep your body healthy, and advance your practice. With proper biomechanics, we open energy lines in the body that promote healing–not destruction. Specific actions in our practice help the body feel safe and relax the nervous system, allowing muscles to release and giving us the power to dive deep into poses with ease. Keep your practice fun, advanced and therapeutic. This is appropriate for students of all levels, looking to find new depth in their practice.

(all levels)

14:00 : Shoulders: Boundless Freedom (Studio 1 Strindberg)

Shoulder Openers Dissolve tension and tightness in your shoulders and learn the biomechanics that make it easy! Many of us fall into patterns where we believe if we continually repeat an action, our goals will eventually workout. This only rings true when we are repeating a recipe for success. Matt Giordano will offer you a yoga practice that gets you into your body and gives you a strong understanding of a complex joint that can otherwise be a bit of a mystery. Having rehabilitated his own shoulder from a nearly shattered collarbone and fractured scapula, Matt’s knowledge speaks from experience and an excitement to share the tools he has picked up along the way. Boundless Freedom is appropriate for all levels. This course can be used for therapeutic and/or advancement purposes.

(all levels)

Göteborg 27-29 april 2018

Fredag

16:00 : Fly. Float and Balance (Yogatältet)

Fly, Float, and Balance: Arm Balances, Handstand and Transitions

Learn powerful and effective techniques that can make even the most challenging arm balances and transition seem simple. Matt will share his knowledge of anatomy to help you understand how to activate musculature, and align bone structure for the most optimal place of ease then holding static postures like handstand, and moving from one posture to the next. This workshop is for all levels, and will leave you feeling empowered, strong and inspired!

Lördag

10:45 : Root Down, Sweat and Move (Studio 1)

Get connected to your foundation through strong and powerful standing poses. Expect to work every muscle from your hips down, building strength and awareness within a sequence that make you sweat and will leave you completely detoxified with a smile on your face. Expect to gain a new perspective that will bring curiosity and excitement to traditional poses. We will go beyond surface level mundane alignment and open up new doors that will leave you feeling a new sense of power in your body.

(all levels)

14:30 : Lotus without Knee Pain (Yogatältet)

Lotus is one of those yoga poses that seems to be only for the elite yoga practitioners that spend all their time chanting, meditating, and living in the Ashrams. The truth is some people can do it really easily, and other require specific techniques, structural alignment, and muscle engagement in order to get there safely, and happily. After our time together you will have a very clear understanding of what you can do to get into lotus comfortably. Get ready to take your practice to the next level!

Söndag

11:00 : Discover the Joy of Backbending (Studio 2)

The back bending practice can be some of the trickiest poses in Yoga, and can seem like either something you just can or cannot do. While some people naturally have more flexibility in an arched position others have to take a more studied approach. In this workshop we will go over techniques that will bring joy and ease to your back bending practice. Those that are less flexible will focus on techniques to unlock tension. Those that have an established back bending practice will be able to take themselves to a whole new level using precision in their approach!

14:45 : Therapeutically Advancing Your Practice (Yogatältet)

Advanced, but all levels? How? Moving forward and practicing more advanced postures is gratifying and fun, but our ambitions to go deeper into asana can also become injurious. In this workshop, we learn how to have your cake and eat it too—heal, keep your body healthy, and advance your practice. With proper biomechanics, we open energy lines in the body that promote healing–not destruction. Specific actions in our practice help the body feel safe and relax the nervous system, allowing muscles to release and giving us the power to dive deep into poses with ease. Keep your practice fun, advanced and therapeutic. This is appropriate for students of all levels, looking to find new depth in their practice.